The NBA’s only bright spots thus far this postseason went in opposite directions Thursday night.
Game 3 of the Warriors/Pelicans NBA playoff series drew just under 4.0 million viewers on TNT Thursday night, up 3% from Clippers/Warriors last year (3.9M) and up 55% from Clippers/Grizzlies opposite the NFL Draft in 2013 (2.6M).
The Warriors’ comeback win ranks as just the fourth NBA playoff game to have a year-over-year increase in viewership (19 telecasts through Thursday). All four games have involved the Warriors or Cavaliers.
Earlier Thursday night, Game 3 of Celtics/Cavaliers drew 3.2 million viewers — down 22% from Thunder/Grizzlies last year (4.2M) but up 52% from Heat/Bucks opposite the NFL Draft in 2013 (2.1M). The decline is the first of the postseason for a Cavaliers game, and just the third with the regular season included (28 total telecasts).
In other action Thursday night, Bucks/Bulls Game 3 drew 536,000 viewers on NBA TV — down 29% from Pacers/Hawks last year (757K) but up 119% from Nets/Bulls in 2013 (245K). The NBA TV telecast was blacked out in Chicago, where it earned an 11.4 rating on Comcast SportsNet Chicago.
(Thu. numbers via ShowBuzz Daily; additional info from bizjournals.com)
